Macklemore Calls Out Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea in New Song 'White Privilege II'

by John Boone
10:45 AM PST, January 22, 2016

Photo: Getty Images

Macklemore is naming names.

The rapper dropped a new track, titled "White Privilege II," on Thursday, off his upcoming album, This Unruly Mess I've Made. In the nearly nine-minute song, he calls out the likes of Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus for cultural appropriation.

"You've exploited and stolen, the music, the moment / the magic, the passion, the fashion you toy with," he rhymes. "The culture was never yours to make better / You're Miley, you're Elvis, you're Iggy Azalea."

Macklemore continues on to call out his own privilege, rapping, "Fake and so plastic, you've heisted the magic / You've taken the drums and the accent you rap in," a nod to his Grammy-winning album, The Heist.

Around the time the song dropped, Iggy posted this cryptic tweet online:

When a fan specifically asked about Macklemore's song, she responded, "he shouldnt have spent the last 3 yrs having friendly convos and taking pictures together at events etc if those were his feelings." Another fan told the rapper she shouldn't "give a f**k," and she tweeted back, "trust me, i dont. lol"

Meanwhile, Miley has not tweeted since Jan. 1, and Elvis Presley died in 1977.

Elsewhere on the track, the 32-year-old rapper also discusses participating in the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and he enlists help from award-winning poet and vocalist Jamila Woods, community advocate Hollis Wong-Wear, and Seattle-based anti-racist organizer Nikkita Oliver, among others.

"This song is the outcome of an ongoing dialogue with musicians, activists, and teachers within our community in Seattle and beyond," Macklemore explains on the site WhitePrivilege2.com. "Their work and engagement was essential to the creative process."

Reaction to the song, to say the least, has been mixed:

"We take all we want from black culture but will we show up for black lives" you can clown Macklemore all you want but yo this low key woke